Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-02-04
CIunie Opera House.

"Zitka was presented to good house
last night by II. c. Miner company
well balanced and competent collection of
people. A dramatic interest independent
of the plot and acting attaches to the drama,
from the fact that it was written by Will
Carleton, who failed to induce any mani
the tragic ending Of the authors life. He
left the Ms. as a sole legacy to his infant
child, to whom, under Miner, it is yielding
handsome profit. Those who would
satisfy their curiosity as to the source from
which Carleton drew his inspiration, can
be gratified by reading the romance
entitled, "Zitka or the Trials of
Raissa " by the accomplished French nov
elist, Henri Greville, and published by T.
B. Peterson Il Bros, Philadelphia Henri
Greville is the nom de plume of lady.
and whose husband for many years resided
in Russia in an official capacity and
afforded her opportunity to study Russian
society life. The attempt has been made
to crowd the whole story into the action of
a two-and-a-half hour drama, and as usual
the story suffers. 1t fails to develop the
purposes and motives of the characters, to
bring about naturally the transitions from
hate to love, and to explain apparent
inconsistencies and unnatural situations
As it stands, it is at once the strangest
mixture OF good and bad, remarkably
strong and weak dramatic situations i'm
aginable. Few modern plays are richer in
striking tableaux, romantic episodes, or
more thrilling situations, and few more
bountiful of absurd surprises and inefficient
text. 1t opens with a shock and raises the
question of otfensiveness; but it develops
one of the strongest, wisest and most love
10 al oh if11a a1Nl In do
tense of its probability, it is asserted that
the incident on which all the action
hinges was fact that once agitated
Russian society. 1t is the story of an out
rage upon young girl; her appeal to the
Car for vengeance; the discovery of her
offenders in the persons of officers of the
Emperor's guard; of a forced marriage
exile; confiscation Of their estates to the
girl her devotion to the management of
the property; growth of love for the chief
offender, despite his hatred of her, and
finally of a happy sequel, in which woman's
wit saves the Cars life, wins the husband
to his wife and secures the pardon of the
offenders. Compared with Greville's text,
the lines are poor, but the action is rapid,
intensely strong, and the scenes fairly
glow with dramatic fervor-one. that
of the denunciation, rises to the level
of the highest dramatic plane. The
leading people. Mr.. Levick and Miss
Batchelder, are competent and strong
in their roles. The latter by oyelmuch
of vigor and demonstrativeness invites the
suspicion of insincerity and lack of gentle
ness on the part of Zitka, or the Countess,
but the lady is accomplished in her art and
wins the sympathy of the audience at
once Levick is a careful and expressive
reader and strong in dramatic action, but
absurd in coming from fever and after
long illness in precisely the same costume
in which he was married, and in which he
was disclosed in exile. The scenery is all
good, the support, though doubling con-
siderably, excellent. The play is well
mounted. finely costumed, carefully played,
and is SO effective as to insure it good
houses. 1t will be repeated tonight.